President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has ratified the 10th amendment bill to the Decentralisation Act.
The Parliament of the Maldives passed the amendment bill on November 2 to hold the by-elections of the women’s development committees (WDCs) once a year. Parliamentarian Mohamed Abdulla Shafeeq proposed the amendment bill to the Local Council Elections Act, which was evaluated by the Parliamentary Committee on Decentralisation. The bill proposes to change the current law which states that the ECM is required to hold a by-election within 60 days after a WDC member resigns. The bill proposes to allow the ECM to hold an election within 365 days and states that by-elections should be held within 300-365 days of each other. The amendment was passed with 34 votes in favour and two against.
The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has expressed concern over having to hold back-to-back by-elections for WDCs as members resign from their posts after being elected. The electoral body revealed that USD240,000 has been spent on by-elections for local councils and WDCs in the past two years. The amendment bill is expected to significantly reduce the state expenditure on holding back-to-back elections.
The bill was published in the Government Gazette following ratification.